Ignoring the Law in Montana (January 13, 2016)
Scofflaw is what you call a person or entity that does not believe the law applies to them. They make up their own rules and ignore the rules the rest of us abide by.
That’s all we can think of to describe the actions of Liberty Utilities which announced Monday that it had purchased Park Water Company for $327 million without the permission of the Montana Public Service Commission — which regulates Mountain Water Company, a subsidiary of Park Water like Apple Valley Ranchos. A spokesperson for the Montana PSC called the action completely unprecedented
and indicated that the PSC is currently deciding how to proceed, but wouldn’t rule out legal action against the company.
Like the Town of Apple Valley, the City of Missoula has taken steps to take over its local water system. This decision by Liberty Utilities — to announce the completion of a merger without the proper regulatory approvals — raises serious questions about the company’s ethics. What effect will this have in Missoula or Apple Valley? Time will tell, but it is clear we are dealing with people who have no respect for the law.
Source: avh2ours.com/2016/01/ignoring-the-law-in-montana/